Dr Samantha Louey - Class of 1994

Dr Samantha (Sam) Louey completed her entire primary and secondary education at Kilvington, starting in Prep and going all the way through to Year 12. She completed a Bachelor of Science (Biomedical) (Hons) and a PhD in Physiology at Monash University, before starting a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Oregon Health & Science University (Portland, Oregon, USA), where she currently works as a Staff Scientist. 

Sam attempts work-life integration rather than work-life balance, and when not working she is a furious knitter, writes unintentionally amusing reviews of local restaurants, and enjoy devising pranks.

Q: What have you been up to since leaving Kilvington? 

A: It doesn’t feel like that long ago that I was at Kilvington, but a colleague just looked over my shoulder as I’m typing this and pointed out that he was born in 1994. Yikes! 

I went to university for a science degree figuring I’d go on to do Honours. I don’t think I really understood what scientific research was, and I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. This led me to my PhD, which led me to the US where I’ve lived since 2003. I’m lucky to have been able to come home to Melbourne every year (except during the peak COVID years) to catch up with family and friends. 

Q: What is your favourite memory of Kilvington? 

A: A lot of random memories of teachers like Mrs Hargraves telling us we had to learn long division because it was character building, Mrs Barton and her animated reading of Mulga Bill’s Bicycle, Mrs Stringer writing everything in yellow and brown chalk (both impossible to read) when her footy team won the grand final, and Mr Stone and his story about the caterpillar that went around and around and around.

I don’t know I have a favourite memory but it’s the friendships that stand out to me. It was a different time back then, without social media. But even though we now have so many ways to keep in touch, there’s something special about seeing friends in person, even just once a year, and everything just falls into place.

Q: Any funny stories? 

A: There’s a lot of funny stories but I don’t want to incriminate others, so I’ll just point out that my shoes are on the wrong feet in our Grade 1 photo.

Q: Did you end up where you expected you would when you finished school? 

A: Absolutely not! I enrolled into a Bachelor of Science thinking I might want to be a doctor but wasn’t sure. I tried my hand at research during my Honours year and realised I really liked it.  I tell our current lab interns who are wondering whether they want to do medicine or research to think about whether they want a scab to heal (in which case do medicine) or whether they want to repeatedly pick at a scab to see what’s underneath (in which case research might be for you). I’ve always been a scab picker but didn’t realise research was a job let alone a career. 

Even when I was finishing my PhD and visited some labs overseas, including the lab I currently work in, I told them I wasn’t particularly interested in that field. Ironically, the student I told that too is my boss right now, and we laugh about it all the time. 

While my training is in developmental physiology, I’ve managed to be a part-time member of a team who do cardiometabolic studies in villages in Alaska. It’s exciting and we have to bring our own food, bedding and build a temporary laboratory for processing samples.

My co-worker commented, “Wow! They couldn’t have found someone less suited or equipped for that position.” She’s not wrong, but I still enjoy the work. I guess you can’t always (or maybe shouldn’t) plan your life out too carefully. 

Q: How did your time at Kilvington prepare you for what you are doing now? 

A: It’s hard to assess how much came from family, friends, Kilvington, or Monash. Everything has felt like a natural progression, built on the previous step. 

Kilvington definitely provided me a strong foundation for learning and participating. I didn’t appreciate until recently how many opportunities were provided for us to just give things a go. When I was going through, Kilvington was still an all-girls school so achievements were entirely merit based. Maybe it didn’t prepare me for my abilities to be questioned on the basis of sex, but it did give me the confidence to try things out without wondering “can a girl do this?” (Because of course, yes, we can!)

Q: What have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve had to face to get where you are now? 

A: I feel really lucky that even though I have experienced difficult times, both personally and professionally, I haven’t had major challenges that were serious roadblocks. There have been some rough patches but, on the whole, I’ve had it easy compared to others in my position. I’ve had solid, fair and encouraging mentors and co-workers, and the resources to get things done. I know it’s not the same for many people though. 

Q: What advice would you give to others who might be faced with similar obstacles? 

A: Look for, and ask for help. The worst that can happen is people say no. Put in a concerted effort to keep going, but consider what the end goal is and what you want to spend your energy on. Sometimes the right thing to do for your own wellbeing and mental health is to step away or say no to something you’re passionate about. Also, keep a good paper trail. That sweet, sweet paper trail could save you in the end!

Q: What has been your biggest highlight so far? 

A: Of my whole life? Wow, I don’t know. It simultaneously feels like I haven’t done anything with my life but have also achieved a lot. I guess the biggest highlight is being able to sit back and realise I’m pretty much in a position to do whatever I like. 

I made some stickers that I hand out that say “Yay me! I did a thing!” Some days that thing could be getting a big grant or having a paper published. Some days it could be that you just ate something delicious and some days it could be that you managed to get out of bed.

Q: What excites you about the future? 

A: I’m not quite at excitement yet, but it will come once I’m past the current set of experiments in the lab. We are relocating our research group to Loma Linda University (California, USA) in 2025 which is exciting. 

Q: How did what you learnt at Kilvington help make you the person you are today? 

A: I think the sense of community that I experienced has helped me the most. Obviously everyone has different backgrounds and different experiences, but the small class size and supportive teachers gave me a sense that it was ok to be quiet and there were always people around me who had my back. 

Also, at the risk of sounding cheesy, it is very much “Not for our own, but others good.” I feel so fortunate that if I can do even small things to make a difference to someone’s day, I’d be a jerk not to. 

Q: Any advice for our current Year 12 students as they embark on the next stage of their journey? 

A: People I work with are usually surprised when I tell them I was the quiet one in school, so maybe this is for the quiet students who might not know what’s coming for them down the track. I would say keep going and keep your eyes open for opportunities. Being uncommitted to a certain path allows you to be flexible and try new things.

Being in academia in the USA and seeing the hoops students have to jump through to get into university and higher education remains bizarre to me. I feel like I wouldn’t get in if I applied, even though I had consistently good grades in school. I’m not sure I made enough of an impact on teachers or lecturers for them to write me strong letters of reference, or that I had enough direction to be able to write a strong personal statement. 

I’d suggest Year 12 students (or students at any year level) try writing (1) a letter of reference for themselves and (2) a personal statement highlighting their experiences and hopes/dreams for their future. Both are good exercises. It's hard to write nice things about yourself and, to be honest, about any areas of weakness. If you can’t write a letter of reference for yourself, how can you expect someone else to do it? Putting it all down on paper gives you an opportunity to fill gaps or work on deficits. 

Likewise, a personal statement lets you think about what skills you have and again, if there are any things you can do to strengthen your case to reaching your end goal. It also lets you think about how you stand out (in a good way) without sounding conceited. Revisit these documents regularly and update them with new experiences or skills. If you are not growing in certain areas of your life, ask yourself if you’re stagnating and if you are OK with that? If not, what can you do about it? Your life is yours for living.